


Careful, it doesn't pay to be so incredible

by Karashi



Series: Memories and Battle Scars [3]
Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-25
Updated: 2013-04-25
Packaged: 2017-12-09 11:13:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/773556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karashi/pseuds/Karashi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a short thing inspired by/loosely based on lines from the song "Memories and Battle Scars"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Careful, it doesn't pay to be so incredible

**Author's Note:**

> Operating under the assumption that Couple's Retreat either never happened or ended differently.

"Any idea on what you're going to do with the artifact?" Darkstar asked as he stared at the strangely carved pendant in the platinum blonde witch's hands.  
  
Charmcaster resisted rolling her eyes, instead quirking a pale brow as she gave her sarcastic answer, "I was thinking of giving this ancient, magic-amplifying talisman to Gwen Tennyson. It certainly looks tacky enough for her, wouldn't you say?"  
  
"Lovely Gwen does seem to have a taste for the garish," he agreed, his eyes visibly crinkling in snide mirth as Charmcaster slipped the talisman on.  
  
The instant it rested around her neck, Charmcaster felt her magic increase a thousand-fold, raw power crackling through her ever nerve, sending her hair billowing upward. She saw things with a new clarity, the world around her blurring into bright light and intense heat. Everything seemed so inconsequential now that she thought about it. Her childhood feud with Gwen, her desire to rule the world, her alliance with Darkstar, what did that matter when she could now manipulate the very fabric of reality?  
  
Painted lips pulled into a wicked smile as she turned her gaze skyward, arms open to embrace the heavens. But when white-hot pain tore through her body the smile remained frozen on her face. She didn't know what was happening, didn't realize the sinister trap the talisman had in store for her magic until it was seemingly too late.   
  
When an unseen force began to carry her aloft, the bright light shone to blinding and the intense heat threatened to consume her whole. Until a tendril of darkness gripped her. And in that brief moment of contact, Charmcaster yanked the talisman off. When she opened her eyes, she saw the light was gone and Darkstar was holding her by the arm.   
  
The tension spread across Darkstar's shoulders was subtle, nearly imperceptible, but she noticed it before his stance settled back into nonchalance. Perhaps even relief. "Quite the light show you put on," he remarked casually, helping her steady herself.  
  
The gratitude in her magenta eyes was reluctant and fleeting, quickly replaced with frustration and embarrassment. "Were you hoping to upstage me?" she hissed defensively.   
  
"I simply thought you needed a little grounding, lovely Charmcaster," he answered in a wounded tone that Charmcaster couldn't determine the sincerity of. She was almost impressed. Almost. Instead, she blamed how well that damnable helmet hid his face and how conscious the mana-leech was of his body language.  
  
"Did it have to involve feeding on me?" she huffed, folding her arms across her chest, a hand idly resting over the exposed flesh Darkstar touched barely seconds ago. Her skin was cool beneath her palm with the last tingling traces of having her mana siphoned evening out.  "Are you _that_ starved for mana?"  
  
Darkstar wordlessly shot a beam of obsidian light at the discarded talisman, knocking the artifact into the air and catching the pendant with a gauntleted hand. He smoothly answered, "No more than _this_ thing." And then promptly crushed it.


End file.
